President Donald Trump on Friday announced that the Education Department will not enforce standardized test requirements for the current school year, as the novel coronavirus outbreak has continues to force schools across the country to close.M

“With many schools closed due to the virus, the Department of Education
will not enforce standardized testing requirements,” Trump said. “Very
importantly, for students in elementary through high school for the
current year. They’ve been through a lot. They’ve been going back and
forth — schools open, schools not open.”

According to the Education Department, the agency will grant a waiver to
“any state that is unable to assess its students due to the ongoing
national emergency, providing relief from federally mandated testing
requirements for this school year.”

“Neither students nor teachers need to be focused on high-stakes tests during this difficult time,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a statement, adding “Students are simply too unlikely to be able to perform their best in this environment.”

“Our actions today provide turnkey flexibilities for state and local
leaders to focus on the immediate needs of their students and educators
without worrying about federal repercussions,” her statement continued.

Carissa Moffat Miller, executive director of the Council of Chief State
School Officers, applauded the move by the Trump administration, saying
it ensures state leaders can focus more time on serving the students,
educations and community.